Emerald Cruises UK
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Fantastic holiday from start to finish.
Fantastic holiday from start to finish. From being met a Hanoi airport Vietnam, 22 days later ending up at Siem Reap Cambodia the whole experience was unforgettable for all the right reasons. The Hotels were all of 5 star quality but the Ship Emerald Harmony was to die for. All of the mainland tours were organized to the highest standard. Hanoi a city full of French influence and thousands of motor scooters. so many people despite their turbulent history are so friendly. A visit to Hanoi must include a visit to Railway Street for cheap food and drink. Our next excursion was to Ha Long Bay explanation is not good enough it has to be seen. We visited a water village where the people still lived as they would have for years. unfortunately the children are taken away the mainland to school. When they reach a certain age they are given one chance to return to the old way of life . No second chance. It's strange to go into a village that seems to be so cut off from the world we know but find every house has a Sky dish. We then went from Hanoi to Da Nang (NO TIME SPENT THERE WHICH WAS A PITY AND IT WAS AT NIGHT. ONE DAY LESS IN ANOTHER CITY WOULD HAVE GIVEN TIME) then onto Hoi An spectacular day and night markets and a riverside lit up with thousands of lanterns at dusk. From Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Hue City (the former imperial capital of Vietnam) lunch out and a rickshaw ride back to the hotel. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels and see all of the traps set for the american soldiers (scary down the tunnels if you are claustrophobic). For a few $ you can pick up an AK47 and shoot at some targets. A visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum at Ba Dinh Square (Resting place of Vietnamese leader Ho Che Minh known to the Vietnamese as Uncle Ho). The time spent on the Harmony sailing up the Mekong Delta was an experience never to be forgotten. There were so many tours included from the ship on the Mekong to various villages where we were treated to fantastic insights as to how the people lived and worked. Emerald do a lot of work with the local people and with reaching out projects helping NGOs to help people with disabilities integrate into society with meaningful work (THEY DO NOT BROADCAST THIS). Then onto Cambodia to visit Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. We visited the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center and the converted school now a prison camp called S21 (not a pretty sight) where we met one of only two to survive the torment Mr Bou Meng I have to admit to shedding a tear at his horrific story. ( I bought his book ($10) about his time in S21 but I have not been able to read all of it. it is bad). He is not looked after by the regime and has to fend for himself hence the $10. We also visited the Killing Fields it takes your breath away along with S21 to see how Pol Pot's regime killed so many people. On a lighter note we had a Tuk Tuk race with everyone through the streets of Phnom Penh (what a scream that was). We also went to Raffles and had a Phnom Penh Sling. (we gave the Tuk Tuk driver $10 to drop us off and pick us up and take us back to Harmony). On the way to Siem Reap we were offered the chance to eat their local delicacy roasted Tarantula I politely declined the offer. There are so many Temples in Cambodia and I think we visited most of them but the icing on the cake was the sun rise over Ankor Wat. If you are going to climb to the top wear good boots as the climb is very steep but well worth it. (they don't understand H&S and the climb is risky). We also visited Ankor Thom famously used in Tomb Raider. We ended the holiday with a Champagne gondola sunset ride on the Ankor Wat lake. Well it would have been rude not too. The itinerary is arduous with so much to fit in but if you are going that far find a way to do everything they plan for you. The hotels, food, tours and Harmony were all 5 star. We visited villages to sample their lives, we had local Lion dancers on the ship, we went to a circus we had a show by dancers all from the local community. It needs to be said that our tour guide Quyen was instrumental in bringing the tour group together without his input, vast knowledge and sense of humour the group would not have jelled.